Sad songs. We all know them. We think
of them often when we are
lonely, feeling down, even depressed.

I remember being away from home for the first time, thinking why in
the world did I sign that dotted line and join the army. The song in
the back ground..."Soldier Boy"

When we can not be with that someone special, we may think of the old
Hank Williams song..."I'm so lonesome I could cry"....you know, the
one that goes...."Hear the lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to
fly The midnight train is whining low I'm so lonesome I could cry

I am sure you all know these type songs. "Where Have All the Flowers
Gone" and "Yesterday" Songs that tell of lost opportunities.

Country music often sings about lost love, lost dogs and lost
pickups. We are even told that if we play a country music song
backwards, we get our wife, our dog and our pickup back.

SAD SONGS. It does seem when we are on our pity pot, we like to
play them. However, these sad songs only tell about things that
really do not matter in the long run. There is a said song however
that is TRAGIC. It does not have effects just for 70 or 80 years,
its effects go on far beyond that...it goes on for eternity,

My friend, what can be more tragic, then to be "almost persuaded" to
gain eternal life? It is not something that could happen...it does
happen:

Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me
to be a Christian.

My friend, if you have been lurking in this group, you may have seen
messages such as this. You may be "Almost persuaded" even now.

I ask you...what is keeping you from trusting HIM? You will not lose
anything of value. You will not get a list of do this and don't do
that. What you will get is JOY unspeakable. You will not lose those
"fun times" of staying out all night, drinking until you can not
remember what you did, but you will gain PEACE beyond all
understanding, A peace that is there in spite of anything happening
around us.

You will not lose your "friends", You will gain a FAMILY! A family
that will share your heartaches, your burdens and your concerns.
More important, you will gain someone that will NEVER leave you or
forsake you.

King Agrippa regrets that day he was "Almost persuaded" to become a
Christian. Don't YOU make that same mistake!

At this point, you may well be saying "yea right, you can take this
stuff and toss it out because there is no hell, it is only what we
make it. Well my friend, if that is the case, if all there is to
live is the time we have here...I have lost NOTHING! In fact, I have
never been more satisfied since I made Jesus my LORD.

On the other hand, what will you have gained if I am right and you
are wrong. You may have a great time for 100 years...but what then?
What THEN my friend?

Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?

"Almost persuaded" now to believe;
"Almost persuaded" Christ to receive;

PLEASE...PLEASE do not be ALMOST persuaded. You do not need to
clean up your act before coming to Jesus. You need not change your
ways, for there is another so that I think is one of the greatest
ones written,

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd'st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt;
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive;
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
here for a season, then above:
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

There are many people here that would love to pray with you, to make
sure that YOU are not..."Almost persuaded"

Part Two

When I asked my lovely wife Lisa what
song she though was one of the
saddest, she gave me the answer...How can You Mend a Broken Heart. I
feel this song is so important as it goes to the core of many of our
problems. So very often when teenagers are dating, they fall in love
with someone that does not return that love.

So very often as adults, our husband or our wife may bring us the
news, "I am not in love with you anymore...I want a divorce"

How can I mend a broken heart? Well lets look at the words to this
song....

HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART
Bee Gees
("Notting Hill")

I can think of younger days
When living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow
But I was never told about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend a this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart
And let me live again

I can still feel the breeze
That rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow
No one said a word about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart
And let me live again

How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart
And let me live again

I think this may well be the 2nd saddest song every written. AHHHH
but this one can be turned into a happy song. Unlike the first song,
"Almost persuaded" something can be done about this song. For you
see, there is a healer of broken hearts, broken dreams, well, lets
say SHATTERED LIVES!

I want to post something by someone that has addressed this issue so
well:

Gal - that's the name of our missionary friends' dog. She - and they
- live on a Native American reservation. Most reservation dogs, they
call them rez dogs, are pretty aggressive - they'll meet you whether
you want to meet them or not. But Gal is different, as soon as she
sees anyone approaching she heads for cover. If you try to befriend
her she just cowers in a corner and trembles, it's pitiful. We asked
our friends why Gal was so withdrawn. It's a pretty sad story. She'd
been abused as a puppy by her former owner . . . and anytime anyone
got close, she was afraid they would hurt her - like those other
people had.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today
about HURT AND HIDING.

Too hurt to trust anyone. That's not just something that happens to a
pet. . . it happens to people - a lot. Maybe it's how you feel.
Somewhere along the way you've been hurt or abandoned, or betrayed,
or mistreated. And like that little dog, you're afraid to let anyone
get close. In fact, you may have built up some pretty elaborate
defenses to make sure no one does. But really you're just afraid that
they'll hurt you like someone else did.

I saw one of our team on that reservation get very close to Gal. In
fact, Gal would seek her out and give and receive a lot of affection
but it was because the person took time to win the dogs trust. She
proved that she only wanted to love and help her and that love broke
through the fear and the hurt.

That's what I pray can happen for you. There is someone who is moving
your direction, someone with outstretched arms, not to hurt you but
to hold you, to heal you. It's Jesus. Listen to these words that
describe Him - our word for today from the Word of God Isaiah 61:1-2.
"The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; He has
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the
captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners." You see,
Jesus is the healer of broken hearts and broken lives, the liberator
form the darkness.

But can He be trusted? God's answer, Romans 8:32, "He who did not
spare His own son but gave him up for us all - how will He not also
graciously give us all things." And then later in that chapter is
says, "Nothing can ever separate us from His love." Can Jesus be
trusted? You walk up that garbage dump hill called Skull Hill - stand
in the pouring rain at the foot of His cross, see the agony Jesus is
suffering there. The nails in His hands and feet, the thorns pressed
on His brow, the spear wound in His side, most of all the total
separation from God. And realize that it is your sin He is dying to
pay for. Oh yes, you can trust this one who loved you enough to die
for you - He's been waiting for you to turn your life over to Him so
He can start the healing process that only He can bring.

But first you have to tell Him that you're putting your total trust
in Him to be your Savior. Now, I know that word "trust" is a hard one
after what you've been through, but you can't just go on hurting and
hiding and alone. This One who loves you so much that He gave
everything He had for you, He's the One person you can finally trust.
You've been looking for, you've been longing for that person for a
long time.

If you want to open up your life to Jesus now I want to send you a
booklet called "Steps to Peace With God" and some material that will
help you know how you can belong to Him. (I'll tell you how you can
get in touch in just a moment.)

I don't know what you've been through, but Jesus does and as He
approaches you today don't run from His open arms. He's the healing
that your heart has always wanted.

My friend, is your heart broken because people have always condemned
you? This is what Jesus says HE will do:

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus

Are your friends, your family abandoning you? This is what JESUS said
HE will do:

Romans 8
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My friend, as I sit here, at work once again typing this, I am glad
my co-workers are not nearby. For you see, I know that my LORD has
laid this message on my heart and it has to be because someone
reading this message needs it so desperately. It may be YOU! You may
still be Almost persuaded. We are told that they that sow in tears
shall reap in Joy....well I must be getting a huge harvest. For once
again in writing these message I find I am sowing. I am sowing
because I am thinking of the one that will STILL be "Almost persuaded"

Oh that I could believe for you my friend. It is a simple matter of
learning to lean...learning to lean on Jesus. Let me finish with
this:

Learning to Lean
Learning to Lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power then I've ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus

SAD BROKEN HEARTED
AT AN ALTER I'VE KNELT
I'VE FOUND A PEACE SO SERENE
ALL THAT HE ASKED IS A CHILD LIKE TRUST
AND A HEART THAT IS LEARNING TO LEAN.

Learning to Lean
Learning to Lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power then I've ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus